


the art of changing course

by Dain



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Desertion, Gen, Running, Stars, Starting Over, a vague reference or two to Kamino being shitty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28397343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dain/pseuds/Dain
Summary: There’s nothing to go back to, so the only way is forward.
Kudos: 9





	the art of changing course

He runs until his chest aches, until the rain stops, until his throat burns with every breath. He loses himself in the rhythm of his feet pounding against the soft ground, in the need to keep going no matter what. He knows he cannot stop.

There’s nothing to go back to, so the only way is forward.

One of his feet hits a patch of mud and slips out from under him. His back hits the ground before he realizes what’s happened and he lies there, gasping, the shock and pain of the fall leaving him breathless.

He has to get up. The longer he stays in one place the more likely it is that he’ll be found. Everything he’s ever learned says that he’s better than this, he was _made_ better than this, he can get up, he doesn’t need to rest. But white plastoid clings to his limbs, weighing him down, and though everything he’s ever learned tells him to ignore that weight, it is now far heavier than any one person could ever shift.

He’s trapped by his own armor, his own body. He imagines he can feel himself sinking into the mud, and he’s tempted to let it swallow him.

Movement catches his eye and for the first time since the crash he focuses on what’s in front of him. The clouds have cleared away and he has an unobstructed view of the night sky, countless tiny stars spread out before him so that the sky seems more light than dark, meaningless silver patterns that steal his breath away more thoroughly than a fall ever could. The view from a cruiser’s viewports don’t do the galaxy justice. It is far more vast and far more beautiful and far more real than he ever realized, and for a moment, the understanding that he is a part of the astonishing vastness spread out before him fills him with a deep contentment.

Movement again: a shooting star, a brief streak of light against the sky, shattering the moment. They’re supposed to be lucky, but he’s pretty sure this one’s just a piece of debris from the transport finally making its way into the atmosphere. 

His helmet’s back there, somewhere at the crash site. One of his greaves, too, unless that fell off while he was running. He’s not sure. He doesn’t think he has any running left in him, and he’s too tired to care anymore. His muscles ache, and his eyes burn, and he’s come a long way.

He’s done well enough, he thinks. It’s time to rest.

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on [Tumblr](https://moonbittern.tumblr.com)!


End file.
